The present invention relates to a lock for an air filter and/or bezel mounted to a rack for electrical equipment that can be mounted to or removed from the rack without using any tools. In more detail, the present invention relates to a lock that enables the user to mount and/or dismount the bezel and/or air filter from a rack or cabinet in which electrical equipment such as computer equipment, routers, switching, power conditioning, and other electrical equipment is mounted or contained without any need for the use of hand or power tools.
Air filtration has recently become a requirement for the chassis of certain communications equipment and is often desirable for many other types of electrical equipment. Specifically, certain computer servers used in communications include an air filter integral with the chassis front bezel assembly, and to meet flammability requirements, all chassis external parts including the bezel must be steel. As a result, the steel bezel and air filter assembly is relatively heavy such that mounting and dismounting the bezel and air filter assembly becomes problematical.
Another problem affecting the mounting of the bezel and air filter assembly to the rack or cabinet in which electrical equipment is mounted or contained relates to the strength of the mount. For instance, certain communications equipment is shipped to the location in which it is to be utilized in the rack or cabinet in which it is contained such that the bezel and air filter assembly must be mounted to the rack or cabinet in a manner that can withstand the rigors and shock of transporting the rack or cabinet. Also, NEBS standards require equipment and racks to sustain seismic shock without functional damage and while preventing personal injury, for instance, from shock-induced failure of the bezel and air filter assembly mount.
To address the problems resulting from the substantial mass of the bezel and air filter assembly, screws and/or bolts can be used to mount the heavy bezel to the chassis. However, there is a need to maximize thermal inflow area, and the use of screws and bolts to mount the filter/bezel results decreases air flow due to reduced frontal area. The use of screws and bolts also compromises the human factors/usability of the design. In addition to the need for tools to remove the screws and bolts, there is a need for improved access to chassis (shelf) subcomponents mounted or contained in the rack or cabinet.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a mount for a bezel and air filter assembly that meets all applicable safety requirements while maximizing thermal inflow area.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a mount for a bezel and air filter assembly that enables the bezel and air filter assembly to be mounted and/or dismounted without using tools.
Although described herein as being particularly useful for use as a mount on the chassis for communications servers, those skilled in the art will recognize from this disclosure that the bezel/air filter assembly mount of the present invention is also intended for use with racks and cabinets for other types of electrical equipment such as routers, switching, and power conditioning equipment. Consequently, in a broader sense, the present invention provides a mount for use in connection with any equipment rack or cabinet for which there is a need for air filtration and air flow.
In this regard, it is an object of the present invention to utilizes “unused” spatial area within the rack flange area to provide the advantages of thermal improvement, serviceability improvement, and shock and vibration resistance without the disadvantage of having to use valuable chassis frontal area to provide those features. This object is accomplished by using the rack flange, or EIA rail, area to lock, retain, and support the bezel/air filter assembly.
Other objects, and the many advantages of the present invention, will be made clear to those skilled in the art in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment(s) of the invention and the drawings appended hereto. Those skilled in the art will recognize, however, that the embodiment(s) of the present invention that are described herein are only examples of specific embodiment(s), set out for the purpose of describing the making and using of the present invention, and that the embodiment(s) shown and/or described herein are not the only embodiment(s) of a targeted on/off switching system and method constructed and/or performed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.